A wheel carrier of said type is used in virtually all motor vehicles, such as for example passenger motor vehicles and utility motor vehicles, and is provided to absorb vertical movements of a wheel and to enable the latter to be steered at all times. For this purpose, transverse links are rotatably connected at the wheel carrier side to the wheel carrier, and at the vehicle side, said transverse links often have two rotatable connections to the body or to the chassis. Transverse links therefore usually form an L-shape or Y-shape, whereby they can enduringly stabilize the wheel under loading in or counter to the direction of travel.
Typically, in modern vehicles, use is made of axle arrangements based on double transverse links or multi-link axles. Said systems offer good possibilities for running gear set-up adjustment, in particular with regard to the wheel camber and wheel toe behavior during the movement of the wheel under spring compression.
A disadvantage of said designs is the spatial requirement of the upper link plane. At this location between the wheel and body, the interior space of the vehicle is considerably restricted. This applies both to the front axle (engine bay) and also to the rear axle (luggage compartment). A lateral reduction in size must however be accepted for the benefit of improved driving characteristics.
It is also conceivable to use a rigid axle or a twist beam rear axle, which are economically expedient but offer only few possibilities for set-up adjustment with regard to driving dynamics. On account of the low flexibility, the use of said alternatives is disregarded for higher-grade vehicles.
It is a problem that, in the case of a transverse link approach, the upper transverse link must be reduced in length in order to provide more space. This has an adverse effect on driving characteristics. It is basically the case that the longest transverse links possible are advantageous for optimum driving characteristics, since the axis of rotation during spring compression is situated a very great distance into the vehicle. This has the result, for example, of only a small change in wheel camber angle during spring compression and rebound. Relatively short transverse links have an extremely detrimental effect on the wheel camber behavior.
In the past, it has been sought to obtain advantageous driving dynamics with the shortest possible transverse links by using stabilizing devices, wherein the mentioned loss of space was accepted.
DE 10 2006 061 975 A1 discloses a wheel suspension which comprises a two-part wheel carrier which bears a vehicle wheel, one part of the wheel carrier being attached to a stabilizer with a compensating means.